Online Marketing
Most people think of a blog as an interactive tool where visitors can make comments and you can have a running conversation with one or more people. Although this is an option, it is an old-fashioned option at best, and does not take full advantage of the “power of the blog” for business.
The best ways to use a blog are as both your online brochure as well as an educational moment…actually moments. Here is probably the biggest obstacle I have found to blogging this way. Most business owners think that if they “give away the crops” you are “giving away the farm”. How does that translate to what we are discussing here? Too many people are misguided in thinking that if they answer questions with somewhat detailed information they are giving away their business for free. Not so…here’s why.
Building a Relationship
There are basically two reasons why people are on the internet…to get information and to buy something. Often, the two are mutually inclusive. It is common for people to search for information on the net to decide what to buy, so if your site/blog can supply both…you win.
In order to do this you need to establish a relationship with your visitor. Now I’ve heard many times that you can’t establish relationships on the internet with your clients since you need to face them, in person, to do this. Wrong! If that statement were true you probably could never establish a relationship with a client over any long distance…so how is it that many client/business relationships are established by using only the phone? I think it is easier, and much better using the internet since the only thing you can deliver to the client over the phone is your voice. Over the internet you can deliver everything else…digitally.
One of the most important things to deliver, in order to establish a relationship, is trust…and if you deliver answers to your clients questions, in some detail, without charge, you will be building the trust that is the basis for all relationships in business and in life in general…just don’t give away all of it.
Building Trust and Credibility
One of the reasons your clients will return as paying clients, is the relationship of trust you are building is also building your credibility in their eyes. This will naturally lead to sales. Remember, they are there to get information and while gathering that information they are also putting together picture of the person or group that is delivering that information to them. Build that picture in their eyes of an expert in the field as well as a great person giving them the answers they need to make a decision of where to go and who to go with, and the results will be astounding. Put yourself in their position. How would you react?
Building an Up to the Minute Presentation
Using your blog as a presentation tool, accurate to the second, is one of the best reasons to have one in the first place. Printed material is expensive and accurate only up to the point of printing. If changes or additions are made to your product or service after printing, you’re printing again or you’re handing out material missing important information, or you’re writing that new info on the back…real professional isn’t it?
With your blog, just change it as it happens. All your clients have to have is the link that takes you to your blog. Since the link never changes, just the info at the other end, you are running a much more efficient marketing campaign…and a lot less expensive. How many pictures can you put in print before you run out of space…or money? How many pictures can you put on your blog before you…well, space or cost doesn’t come into play here.
Building a System
Just participate in discussion groups, as posted earlier, and you will have the ability to bring your clients to you. The use of blogging and discussion groups (Social Media) together allows you to build your marketing into a repeatable system that continually presents itself to thousands at a time…for a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the time.
…My Offer to You
If you are interested in applying this approach to your business, I can show you how. Let me do the mechanical work, you supply the material (which you are doing anyway for print marketing), and I can build you your own blogging marketing system for a fraction of the cost of print…and much more effective as well. I can even do this for you for free…yes you read that correctly, and I’m not nuts or giving you a lite version of it. Just ask me.
You have a lot of clicks, but no conversions…why?
So, ask yourself:
- How fast can you or your client read?
- How effective is the first 4 seconds of text on your website or
blog? - How do
you capture your audience then? - How do
you fix it so you capture your clients before they read your
text?
across your websites and blogs. It’s a fully hosted,
managed, system that delivers your video overlay content so you can be assured
your site viewers will see your message. These Online Video Ads
engage the website visitor the moment they arrive. iVo Technology adds that Live
Human Element instantly!
click on me to see our specials page…iVo is very easy
to implement. By simply inserting a small HTML code into your web page, iVo can
be up and playing in a matter of minutes.
free.
Visit their site, type in
the website or blog of your choice in the box with the DEMO link, and
see what a simple/basic example looks like.
match your budget and business
fit every budget. Choose from their library of generic pre-recorded messages or
you can choose a custom solution for ultimate name branding of your product or
service. iVo is so
effective they even allow you to try out the technology for 30 days on your website
absolutely free. They have PPP Service Plans
that are very affordable & depend on your site traffic. You should see
positive results when adding one of their website spokespersons and you will
give your site a vital instant personal connection that is required for today’s
audiences.
one of their professional spokespersons. They take care of everything. Use the
system on one page or many pages on your site.
LOGO and contact information printed on it
of using yourself or your personal spokesperson to do the video.
biggest turnover problems for business on the internet…visitor patience…most
have none. This solution puts an entertaining image, through video, onto the
screen that holds the visitor’s attention longer than the usual 4
seconds the client allows you to capture them.
How
to Use Social Media in a System for Marketing
In the beginning, there was Social Media. The first sites are still around, but
they are mainly useful for personal social activities. They can be used for
“Business to Consumer” marketing, but the true B2B marketing campaigns should be
run through the SM sites that are business oriented. Examples would be
FaceBook, LinkedIn, MeetUp, PartnerUp and more. As you read below, you will see
why I like these sites much better than the original SM sites for
business.The System – Step by Step:
Throwing “you know what” against the wall and hoping it sticks is the way most people
think of, and use, SM in their marketing methods…and the reason it fails.
They have no planned out system in place to maximize it effectively, so in their eyes it doesn’t
work for their business...and they’d be wrong. You need a “step
by step” system to implement SM as a marketing tool, just like any
other more traditional marketing method. You wouldn’t place an ad using any of
the traditional medium and expect it to work unless you also had “steps” laid
out as a follow up to do something with the names and information you gained
from that ad. That ad is just part of a cohesive system, as is the use of SM.
The main differences is the ability of SM based marketing to reach far more
people, and focused people, as well as being able to do this at a much lower cost.So here is my
system for using SM for business along with a brief explanation of each (details
below). Keep in mind that if you only use parts it won’t work as well (if at
all), so use it all…with the restrictions:
- Join the different Social Media Sites and set up a “professional Profile”…not a personal one. This is your professional
resume’. - Join many “groups” found there and “follow ONLY” some discussions. Don’t answer any questions or post any
comments…yet. This will be explained below. - Set up your blogs…yes blogs. You will probably use more than
one. - Now
join in on the discussions by answering questions. You can even start your
own discussion or group if you want. - Get educated on how to do this better by joining an online educational source
that will continually add to your knowledge and tools to implement this system
to its peak efficiency.
It is very important that the posting looks professional in every
way…especially in content. Think of it as your resume’. Put on it what you
would normally put on a resume’ that you would give to out at an interview. If
you don’t want a potential employer looking at your vacation shots…don’t put
them here. Use the ability to add digital media like slide shows (not vacation
ones), video, links to websites and other groups you participate in and more.
This can also contribute to a higher Search Engine ranking if you learn
how to do it right.
as a side note, it isn’t important how many “followers” you have on these SM
sites, so turn that off. Your marketing focus is NOT to your SM followers, but
it is to the connections to them. More importantly, as you will see as Step #4
is explained below, you will get your clients from the discussion groups you
participate in.
Groups
is where you start to market yourself…the operative word being “start”. This
is also a very important part of the educational
process within the steps. Remember, I said earlier that at this point you
should not be participating in these discussion yet. You’re not ready yet. You
may be able to answer the questions, but using this system there is much more to
it than that. It comes down to your ability to answer and hold
them. Relating this to more traditional marketing methods, you would
never expect very good results from an ad you placed in a newspaper that would
lead a potential client to your store if the store was empty would you? If you
answer the question at this point, that’s exactly what you’re doing. The idea
is to get business from this, right? If your answer is successful, meaning your
client is interested in finding out more about you, but you have nowhere to send
them to, they will be lost. All you’ve done is give a way a free answer,
that has gotten them interested (excited), but since you are not prepared to
close the deal, you just sold your concept/answer for a competitor…because the
client will find your competitor instead.
system. Here is what you will be learning:
- What groups actually have your potential clients in
them. Don’t just join groups that are made up of other
businesses just like your’s…unless they will be buying your product or
service. This type of group can be valuable for networking for knowledge, but
not for getting clients. Join groups that are related to your product/service,
but they don’t have to be exactly on topic for it. Join groups, monitor them,
see what they are discussing and see if you can contribute in a way that will
lead the followers back to you. Join as many as you want…they are free to
join. - How to answer, and not answer, questions that are
posted. Have you ever been involved with a discussion, anywhere,
that has been going on for a while, and have someone come up out of the blue and
say, “Hi, my name is Hotshot Salesperson, I overheard your conversation
and I think I can help. Here is my card, call me tomorrow”. Don’t you just
want to….? Well, if you think that’s obnoxious, and I might add very
ineffective, then don’t do it here either. It still amazes me how many times I
see this on these discussions. Someone comes from nowhere,…keep in mind that
there are always more people monitoring these discussions than actually posting
to them, but I digress,… Where was I, right,…someone comes out of nowhere
and says, “I have what you are looking for, I’m the best, here is my
email/website/number, contact me later and I canhelp(sell) you what you
need”. It doesn’t work…ever. Don’t do it. Learning how to answer the
questions is a very important part of the system. I just stated what I hope was
an obvious example of what not to do. There are many other good and bad ways to
answer the questions, so before you actually start answering them, learn how.
Monitor the discussions first, figure out what appeals to you, and follow that
direction.
The System – Set up your Blogs
of you blogs as your online brochure…and other sales material. You can post
anything you want to say about any topic related to your business here…and it
can be to the minute. This means you can actually answer the questions posted
on a discussion forum with a brand new posting on your blog that you just put on
there based on the question. In other words, just before you answered the
question on the discussion group, you posted a detailed answer on your blog.
Now, when you answer the question, you send them to the detailed blog answer.
The more times you post, the more “brochures” you have just produced that are
specific to the market. How expensive would that be to produce, and distribute,
if they were actual hard copies? Now, place you blog address on all of your
traditional marketing pieces and this posting becomes it’s own version of
“multitasking”.
can set up pages within your blog that are always easily accessed from every
individual posting. These would be the standard marketing materials you would
want everyone to always have access to. On my Architectural blog I have my
Portfolio and my Catalog of Plans as separate pages that I keep up to date and are visible
and accessible to everyone at all times.
you have your blogs set up as you want, with a variety of information that shows
who you are and what you can do, you are then ready to go onto the next step in
the system…
that you understand ‘how” to answer the questions, and you have a
“place to send them” for more detailed up to the minute answers, start
answering the questions. What is important here is that you actually answer the
question…and don’t just send them to your blog. The answer needs to be full
of valuable information that not only answers the question but leaves the
readers (remember, others will be monitoring this…not just the person that
posed the question) wanting more, and thus wanting to visit your blog.
Make sure you answers include your business signature with contact info (email)
and links to the details (website and blog). If they are interested in “who
this person is” and “what they can do for me” you need to provide a way of
finding out. They can click on your name to open your business profile, and
your signature will give them the means to find out more…just like you
planned.
see why it is important to execute step #3 before you go onto step #4. If you
go directly from step #2 to 4, the answer will be incomplete and you will lose
control over the reader…and potential client.
you see here is an explanation of the system and why you would use it. As to
how to use it more efficiently you need to join an educational
group that can provide you with this knowledge. There are many of them out
there, and they are usually not free, but well worth the expense. Make sure the
education is continuously updated, that the group provides access to them for
specific answers, and also the tools needed to put all the marketing “add ons”
like video, mass mailing, SEO support, auto-responders (very important) and more. There is so much to learn that too many people bi-pass
this with the idea they don’t need it…wrong. You wouldn’t build a
house, perform surgery, cut hair or cook without learning how, so why would you
attempt to do something that is so crucial to your business survival without
learning how to do it right first?
I hear many people question the ability of using SM in their marketing campaigns
as a true source of growing their business. The reasons are usually based on a
lack of understanding of how to use it. Like I mentioned above, you can’t just
throw it against the wall and expect it to stick. You can’t just blindly go
through the motions without a map/system laid out to follow and expect it to
work…because it won’t.
can make efficient choices as to applying each step, and I can’t think of very
many, if any, business models that can’t benefit from this….and the best part
of all, is it’s so cost effective you can make mistakes along the way and learn
even more.
Learn by Doing: Moving Forward
which sites to use to automate this process. I don’t want to specify too many
sites since there are many good ones and I don’t want to leave any out…I sound like I’m accepting an award…but here goes.
A starting point list of sites I like.
Here is a short list of sites I like, what they can do for you, and why I like them. I will
admit right from the start, that I can make a few bucks if you use these sites
too, but I would recommend these sites anyway since I use them before I recommend them. Here goes:
Education:
MLM Pro This is the most important program you can get into…and it
should be the first. There are other places to get education from, usually the
best will come from good MLM programs. Don’t laugh, they have some great
business and marketing programs as part of their systems…the good ones
do.
Website
Hosting Programs: GoDaddy, Host Gator, ViralHosts. Cheap,
even free in some cases. Have website templates for those who don’t have sites
because they can’t design them. Good support as well.
Auto-responders: AWeber, GetResponse. You
can’t operate an online business, maybe any business now, without one. These
fantastic tools are cheap to use and allow you to use your time more
efficiently. I know, some of you are saying this takes the “personal contact”
out of client relations…but only if you use it wrong. This is a tool, not a
substitute for client relations. Use them to filter clients and to get info to
people efficiently.
Client List
and Lead Builders: Drop Cards, eMail mass mailers, Using
professional programs to help you build your client lists makes more sense than
cold calling…and you don’t need to hire someone and depend on them to do/say
what you want them to. This is a great tool to use with your auto-responders too.
Video
Marketing: Traffic Geyser. There are more, but this is a great one that does all the work for
you…well, you still need to do the video.
SEO: SEO
NETWorker. If you want to get your search engine placement optimized, you
can do it the hard way…by yourself, or you can get it done much faster and
more efficient.
Paid
Advertising: GoogleAdwords. This
is a long topic, with many variables and options. Too long for this blog, but
you’re in luck. This link takes you to a great eBook that explains how to do it
and why. This comes highly recommended.
Using
Articles online: Article
Submitter. If you plan on writing and distributing articles you write as a
means of marketing, and it is very effective for many reasons, you need to have
a way to submit them…or they just sit on your computer…all dressed up and
nowhere to go.
E-Commerce: AlertPay.
If you plan on selling something on your site, even if it is just an eBook, you
need to be able to accept payment. There are many options out there, but I
don’t want to give away half of my profits in upfront fees or
royalties
Well, that
turned into a longer list than I thought, but these sites/programs are well
worth the investment…especially after you educate yourself on how and why they
are important…that is the first step. If you don’t learn how and why, you end
up just spending money on something that has great potential, but never sees
results. Find out how and why, then do it. You’ll be very happy you did. It
works.
For more
information and better explanations on the use and importance of these types of
programs you can <click
here> and get my free eBook
on it.
Principles
of Attraction Marketing
Education is the key to almost anything in life…and that holds true with any
type of Internet Marketing program. Marketing on the Web though is very
specific, and very easy…if you follow the ground rules. Since the Online
world is very “education” oriented, and almost anti sales, it is important to “stay in play”…meaning you don’t
want to get kicked out of any social marketing site after you do the work to get
noticed. Get educated on the rules and follow them. If you want to Blast to as
many friends as you can, you need to be careful not to get “kicked out” for
spamming. Use sites that will do this for you like Add New Friends.com. They will do it right, and as the rules
change, they change their methods for you.
Now, “what are these rules ” you say. Well,
there are some very simple rules to follow that allows you to market..without
really selling anything. Each type of site has their own rules to follow, but
they also have their own advantages…the biggest being the connection between
them.
Content Sharing Sites, like Wikipedia, Squidoo, Ezine Article pages
and more, invite the user to generate content to share. You can do this on
other more common social sites (Twitter, etc…) but since these other sites are
not designed to be business friendly, you need to know how to link from these
sites to the more business friendly sites…again, education comes into play here
too.
Media Sharing Sites, like YouTube, Flicker and others, provide a
means to share videos and other media to others. Don’t know how to do a video,
that is easy and the education for this is
available.
Blogging sites, like this one, offer you the ability to
write what you want, as often as you want, and link to it from your other “less
friendly” sites. As you can see, it is important to find a way to manage the
connections as well as know the “what’s and why’s” of these
systems.
There are many other types of sites that can
be incorporated into your overall marketing campaign that will draw leads to you
(attraction marketing). This is important since these leads are more valuable
than the haphazard leads normally gained from people finding you through search
engines alone.
SOE and how
all this helps
Search engine placement is very important, and
you”l find that a well thought out campaign, using all (and more) of the
systems discussed, will elevate your so fast it will make your head spin.
The education you get on how to do this, if packaged along with the tools to actually do it, are the best sites to find and
use. My favorite is called Automate Your MLM Now. Although it may sound like a site that is dedicated only to MLM marketing, that is not true at all. This site has more education than you’ll find anywhere else on the Internet, on all of the above
sites types. More important, along with their extensive education, comes an
automated system that takes care of most of the “busy work” that slows us down.
It focuses on getting “quality” leads..and it has delivered big time for me. I
highly recommend them.
Using Auto
responders
Using Auto responders like Aweber, and GetResponse are absolute
necessities.
You can replace your old Business Cards online with online Drop Cards.
Need a Host for your Website? Of course you
do. With Viral Hosts you can get a free, yes FREE hosting program..and make money from it as
well.
Once you get rolling you can start submitting articles. This is a great way to show your expertise
in your area, which is very important for attracting people to you and your
sites. Training here is also needed, but the submittal tools can be found at Automatic Article Submitter.
SEO Marketing sites, like SEO Networker take the headaches out of SEO
marketing.
Paid advertising can be very expensive if not
done correctly…but it can also be very profitable…if you learn what to do,
and what not to do. Education here can be very important since this is a cost
to you before you see results. You want this to be effective…or your business
disappears. This can also be very time consuming, so use an automated service
like GoogleAddWords that automates this for you…the right way.
The key is education. There is a free webinar that I recommend you can sign up for. It’s
free, and it will give you a basic outline on all that we have discussed here.
In the mean time, good luck on your online marketing efforts.
